Outline + Script

OUTLINE

Scene 1
People are walking through an airport, making purchases, and going wherever they want without hassle. Camera will focus on a random man in a suit walking calmly to his terminal, grabbing lunch, and going through TSA's metal detectors. The man boards the plane to New York, helping an old woman carry her bags along the way. After being seated, the stewardess reviews safety procedures, and the plane takes off. Screen goes black, cuts to scene 2.

Scene 2
Newscasters reveal that the man was a terrorist. He had looked ordinary and harmless, so he had been able to make his way up to the cockpit casually, kill the pilot, take over, and crash the plane into the Statue of Liberty. Newscasters explain that in light of recent events, civilians would be subject to increased surveillance. Everyone would need his/her own barcode tattooed on his/her wrist so that the government would be able to track everything they did - what they purchased, where they went, and who they associated with.

Scene 3
Rob and his friends are watching the newscast and think the new surveillance technologies are stupid. They devise a plan to create temporary tattoos to avoid permanent barcodes on their wrists. The camera follows them throughout their day with the “improved” security measures present around town. Eventually, the Rob gets home annoyed from being hassled and checked all day, especially because his tattoo kept appearing as an “error” on police scanners. Soon after, he finds out that his brother was arrested and given a life sentence for beating someone up.

Scene 4
Rob goes to see his brother in jail. His brother explains what happened and looks weak, as if he has not slept or eaten in days. Realizing that the old rules no longer apply, Rob silently vows to find a way to get his brother out of jail.

Scene 5
As the previous scene is taking place, a news report comes on the television in the station. It had been speculated that the man who had crashed the plane into the Statue of Liberty had escaped via parachute and had been in hiding nearby. The NYPD had found him hiding out in a popular tourist destination. He had dyed his hair and was out buying groceries when a local merchant recognized him and reported him to the police. The officers ordered the man to accompany him to the nearest police station to get one, when the man started running away. The cops eventually caught and brought him to the same jail Rob’s brother was being held.

Scene 6
The cops receive word that Rob’s brother has escaped from jail, Shawshank Redemption style. They arrive at Rob’s house to share the news with and question the family, but first they must scan all of their barcodes to verify their identities. Although Rob’s barcode usually comes up as an error (which the cops attribute to the newness of the system), this time, the barcode matches that of the recently-tatted terrorist, so he is taken away…

SCRIPT

SCENE 1
Setting: Chicago O’Hare International Airport on a busy Monday morning. Men, women, and children are running frantically to catch their planes. People are buying souvenirs and trinkets in gift shops, and others are simply sitting and waiting. The camera focuses on one man in particular. He is wearing a suit, holding a big briefcase, and goes through security. He walks to the gate where his plane will take off, sits, and takes a moment to look at the people around him. As an officer walks toward the gate, he rises abruptly and goes to the nearest café.

Man (to cashier): Could I get a coffee, a bottle of water, and a couple of those cookies?

Cashier: Sure, can I get you anything else?

Man: Hmm…no, that’ll be all please.

Cashier: Ok, $8 please.

He hands her a $20 bill.

Man: Keep the change.

The man checks his watch and realizes that it’s almost time to board. He walks back to his gate.

Airport Announcer: Good morning everyone, it’s time to board. We ask that everyone in the first ten rows please line up now, passports and boarding passes in hand.

The man, whose seat is in row 7, gets in line and begins walking to the plane.
Seeing an elder woman struggling to pull her luggage, he helps her and puts it in the overhead compartment for her.

Woman: Thank you, young man!

The man, now looking distracted, doesn’t seem to notice the woman. He sits down and closes his eyes. The stewardess begins reviewing safety procedures, and the plane takes off. Screen suddenly goes black. Cut to scene 2.

SCENE 2

Setting: A newsroom in New York. The two anchors, a man and a woman, are preparing for their biggest news segment ever.

Female Anchor (FA): Good afternoon. As all of you know, this morning’s terrorist attack on the Statue of Liberty killed thousands of people and completely destroyed one of our nation’s most sacred landmarks. Unfortunately, a new twist has arisen. Investigators believe that their prime suspect, a man in his early 30s, managed to escape before the impact.

Male Anchor (MA): Recordings from the flight’s radio reveal that the man had a parachute and managed to jump out of the plane seconds before the crash. Chicago O’Hare International Airport has provided us with this video surveillance from earlier this morning. As you can see, the man, now being identified as Joshua Sharp, managed to make it through security without a problem. We ask that anyone with information about this man’s whereabouts contact the NYPD.

FA: Because this is the second attack on New York in a little over a decade, the DHS has decided to input stricter security measures. From now on, all cities will have an increased police force, along with routine checkpoints and random searches. Additionally, all citizens will be required to get a personalized barcode tattoo on their right wrist. When scanned by police, a person’s name, address, and any important information will appear. Clinics will be open 24 hours a day, and all tattoos will be free of charge. If you do not voluntarily get one, you will not be able to go anywhere because all businesses will be required to use the scanner before selling items. Anyone without a tattoo will be reported.

SCENE 3
Setting: A home in New York. Teenagers Rob, Megan, and Tim are sitting in the living room watching the news report about the attack.

Rob: Man! This is ridiculous. Some idiot decides to kill a bunch of people and WE have to take the punishment?

Tim: I know dude, you’d think there’d be more unity after something like this, not persecution!
Megan: I agree guys, and no way am I getting some ugly barcode on my wrist, do you know how painful that’s gonna be!?

Tim: Ha, yeah. Wish there were a way around that. Maybe we could like draw some on and get away with it.

Megan: Yeah right! They’d look so fake!

Rob (staring thoughtfully): Hmm…I know for sure my parents are gonna be some of the first people in line for those things. I bet we could make some pretty legit “anonymous” temporary tattoos if we really wanted to…

Later that night, Rob takes a picture of his parents’ tattoos, eventually coming up with a flawless design.
The next day, Rob stays home from school. He is surprised to find his parents sitting at the table when he wakes up. His mom is crying.

Dad: Son, your brother was arrested last night. It looks like he got into a heated argument with someone and beat them up pretty badly…the police held him in solitary confinement last night and mentioned a life sentence…this new security is getting out of hand.
His mom runs out of the room and his dad follows to comfort her. Rob is visibly upset and storms out of his house.

SCENE 4

Setting: Jail. Rob and his brother are sitting face-to-face in the jail’s visiting room.

Rob: Hey man, I’m sorry this is happening to you…

Brother: Don’t be sorry, you didn’t do anything. It’s this damn system. That terrorist messed everything up for the rest of us. You know me…I would never beat someone up just for the hell of it. The dude had a knife…if I have the choice between saving my life and being stabbed, you know damn well I’m gonna choose my life.

Rob: I just wish there was something I could do… (Whispering) hey, did you ever watch The Shawshank Redemption?

Brother: Yeah man, why?

Rob: No reason. This place just reminded me of it.

Screen fades out to scene 5.

SCENE 5

As the previous conversation is taking place, a news report comes on the television in the station.

MA: Good afternoon. Our first story will be the breaking news of the day. New details have arisen concerning the terrorist attack on the Statue of Liberty. The man, confirmed to be Joshua Sharp, reportedly escaped through the front window of the airplane with a parachute attached to his back. Officers speculated that he was hiding nearby, since he could not have gotten far with his image all over the news.

FA: And he didn’t. New reports are coming in saying that a local merchant reported seeing a man resembling Joshua Sharp take refuge in an abandoned apartment. He attempted to flee, but was swiftly caught, brought into jail, and given a barcode tattoo. We are glad to see him behind bars.

SCENE 6

While making their rounds one morning, the guards find that Rob’s brother has gone missing. They find an escape tunnel behind a poster in his cell (like in the Shawshank Redemption!). They go to tell Rob and his family at their house.

Guard 1: Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, Rob.

Dad: Oh, uh, hi…can we help you with something?
Guard 1: We came to inform you that your son has escaped…we wanted to know if you knew anything about it.

Mom (through tears): No…no…where is my son?

Guard 2: We don’t know. Last night he was in his cell, and this morning he was gone. If you hear anything, call us as soon as possible. It’s the right thing to do. Oh! Almost forgot, could I scan your barcodes quickly? Just a routine thing.

Mom and dad nod, Rob backs away slowly.

Guard 1 (to Rob): Hey, you! It’ll just be a second!

Rob shrugs and complies.

Rob (thinking): Whatever…it’ll come up as an error anyway.

Guard 2 scans his “barcode.”

The guard reads the scanner, his eyes wide open when he sees what comes up. Rob, curious as to why the normal error noise didn’t sound, leans over to read the screen. His jaw drops when he reads what it says.

Rob: NO! This is a misunderstanding…I can explain!!! I have nothing to do with that!

The guards promptly arrest him. The name on the screen? Joshua Sharp.